


The Ordeals of Love

by miss_liding



Category: World Trigger (Anime & Manga)
Genre: (no lid), Fluff and Humor, Gen, Valentine's Day, and scraped the ensuing mess off my walls into this fic please enjoy, basically i put tamakoma 1 and 2 into a jar and shook vigorously
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-03
Updated: 2020-05-03
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:13:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,706
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23977276
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/miss_liding/pseuds/miss_liding
Summary: Yuuma experiences his first Valentine's day on Miden. Fortunately for him, Tamakoma-1 and Tamakoma-2 are around to help demonstrate the usual sacred rituals- candy, camaraderie, chaos. Gen!fic.
Comments: 7
Kudos: 62





	The Ordeals of Love

"...So that's why I've got this," finished Mikumo. The empty canvas tote on his shoulder flapped gently, a promise waiting to be filled. He hiked it further up his shoulder.

"I see, I see," said Yuuma thoughtfully. "So it's polite to accept these... Gifts, then? If I receive them?"

"Right. Since people know you're with Border you'll get a few as well. I saw Arashiyama-san's gifts once, it was..." Mikumo's eyes glazed over. "Oh, but um, if they ask to speak with you alone, that might be, um. A confession."

"That's not good. They should go to the police with that."

"Not of crime, of... Intentions."

A single crease line formed between Yuuma's brows. "Intentions?"

"Like feelings. Romantic ones," Mikumo managed to get out, as elegantly as an awkwardly earnest 15 year old boy could be expected to do. He brushed aside an errant crepe ribbon to open his shoe cubby.

"Ohhhh, like courtship," said the other 15 year old child soldier, who'd spent a lot more time navigating the political intricacies of various Neighbour countries. "You could've just said."

Mikumo, in between pushing up his glasses and toeing on his indoor shoes, briefly wondered at the extent of Kuuga's extracurricular training. "Well...yes. You don't have to accept, but just. Be kind."

"I'm always kind." Yuuma stuck his head around Mikumo's cubby door. "You've got two already! Nice, Osamu!"

"I do usually get one or two," Mikumo allowed with a matter-of-fact sort of humbleness. "But it's all the obligatory kind."

"It's very selfless of them," said Yuuma as they walked to class. He took in the streamers (loudly pink, flimsy and obviously temporary) and various décor (heart-shaped, also pink) tacked up along the corridor walls. "Are there any conditions attached?"

"Usually you'd give them gifts back on White Day next month," said Mikumo. "So in some ways there's benefits to receiving less—"

They had arrived at their classroom. Mikumo stopped dead in the entrance, apropos of nothing.

Yuuma peeped over Mikumo's shoulder. The space where his desk usually was had been replaced by a giant pile of sparkly, shiny, pink, red, brown, wrapped, unwrapped, nicely bowtied, packages. No wait, there was a leg. And a long tangle of ribbons obscured the chair back, but it was still there as well. As they watched, a girl from class C placed another present on the heap.

"Hmmm," said Yuuma slyly. "I never took you to be one for false modesty." He spied the girl making a beeline for the door and moved out of the way.

Mikumo, on the other hand, stayed anchored in the doorway like his feet had been used for target practise by Miwa.

"Oh, Mikumo-kun!" said the girl, bowing a little. "Excuse the intrusion, I wasn't sure if I was going to see you today. But I, I watched Border's press conference a few weeks ago. Hearing you speak... It gave me hope again. I still miss my sister every day." Hands clasped, glowing with gratitude, she looked up with shining eyes. The gentle spring wind blowing through the open classroom window tousled her hair, and with it came the scent of flowers.

"That's— good," Mikumo said. "I mean, not— you're welcome," he finished weakly.

"Thank you for your hard work!" The girl ducked her head again and pattered off.

"So that's your being kind," observed Yuuma. In the near distance a window slammed shut. Mikumo, trying to carry out tote volume vs present quantity calculations in his head, appeared not to hear him.

* * *

They drew glances the entire walk from school to Tamakoma headquarters. Yuuma had rigged up some sort of rough bindle from his blazer and was carrying his own haul and a sizeable portion of Mikumo's. Mikumo had agreed to compensate him very generously for his assistance, but even with advance payment he was unable to make a meaningful dent in the spoils.

Yuuma swallowed down another chunk of his wages and licked his lips. "Maybe we should've asked Reiji-san for a ride. But he was busy, wasn't he."

Mikumo looked a lot more distraught than any boy carrying literal pounds of chocolate, on _Valentine's day_ , had any right to be. "I wasn't expecting so much, I thought the press conference would be off everyone's minds by now. And paying attention to Commander Kido's announcement instead..." _Of me_.

Yuuma looked at his captain, saw the shadow of a badly wounded boy who had stood up in a den of wolves to defend his right to save people, and said nothing.

Upon opening the front door, Usami immediately accosted them. "Happy Valentine's day!" she cheered, echoed by Chika. The younger girl bore a plate with a dome over it. "Ooh, you've got quite the load today don't you. Popular, hmm? Well, a man in uniform often is."

"I got some too," said Yuuma, sparkling.

"Of course you did!"

"More chocolate?" Mikumo said blankly.

Chika offered him and Yuuma the plate. "These are from Usami-senpai, and me, and Konami-senpai." She paused. "Oh, except she told me not to say that...I think?"

"She's just like that," said Usami. She was inspecting the notes in the boys' bundles with great interest. "But yes! We made those for you!"

Mikumo took the plate from Chika and showed it to Yuuma, who lifted the dome with not a small sense of ceremony.

"Dorayaki!" Yuuma's eyes widened to the size of the snack. "Thanks!"

"Not chocolate," sighed Mikumo in relief. He took one as well. "Thank you very much."

"Well, I used to make chocolates, but then I joined Tamakoma and Torimaru—"

"I'm back," called Karasuma from the entrance. He entered, schoolbag over his shoulder and arms cradling a box of similar composition to Mikumo's bundles. He put his burdens down on the floor.

"Torimaru, welcome!"

Karasuma turned and left the room.

Then came back, carrying another, similar, large box, which he also put down on the ground. Then he turned and left the room again.

Then came back again, hoisting yet another box, and followed by Reiji, also carrying a box.

"Good thing we keep all of Jin's old bonchiage cartons," said Reiji, by way of greeting. He let the last box thump onto the floor.

Yuuma counted four boxes, one blazer bindle, one tote bag, and one stretched satchel. Possibly enough to stock a sweets store for a month. Certainly enough to bribe multiple of Border's upstanding, professional, very competent, sugar-fueled personnel. For a long moment all six stared at the sheer mass of candy.

"I don't suppose you have storage space in your room?" asked Reiji. Torimaru shook his head. "We can put them in that corner for now."

In the middle of getting the living room into some semblance of organised, the front door slammed open.

"I'm heeeere!" Konami shouted, and flounced in.

A chorus of replies sounded, most muffled by mouthfuls of dorayaki or chocolate (or both, in Yuuma's case, who had started experimenting).

"Thank you for the dorayaki, Konami-senpai," said Mikumo dutifully.

"Whatever. I didn't do it for you, it's only out of obligation." Konami took in the contents of the room. "Osamu... Are all of these yours?!"

"Aaaall his," said Karasuma.

Konami turned on Mikumo before he could voice a denial. "What?! It's so arrogant of you to just flaunt your popularity like that in front of your betters! I'll have you know last White Day, I got _twice_ as many—"

Karasuma, expertly rooting through his hoard, spoke up again. "Don't be so rough on him, Konami-senpai. He was the most keen for your gift of all. He even said Konami-senpai would give the best present."

Konami blinked and subsided slightly. "Oh, well, naturally that would be the case!" she laughed, smug. "Next time you don't have to wait, you can always ask—"

"Just kidding. He never said that."

"WHAT?!"

It occurred to Mikumo, whose head had been ping-ponging between the two for the last minute, that he should put something solid between him and Konami. He dove for the couch but Konami had unbridled fury on her side. She lunged.

Chika sat down on the other couch next to Yuuma. "Are you enjoying Valentine's day so far?"

"Yep. It's interesting to see Miden's version of a festival dedicated to love... Very interesting indeed."

Chika followed his gaze. On the other side of the room, Konami had secured Mikumo in a headlock and was shaking him briskly. "Hahaha, I don't know if that really counts..."

Reiji and Karasuma moved to diffuse the situation. Konami, unable to obtain her pound of flesh, was pacified with a pound of chocolate. Mikumo collapsed on the floor as Usami patted him on the cheek with one hand and rescued the dorayaki with the other.

Yuuma drew his legs up onto the couch, comfortable, all a-sprawl. He smiled at Chika. Suddenly he seemed very far away. "I think it does."

* * *

The ruckus downstairs was intolerable. It made Hyuse want to lie facedown on his bed and pull a pillow over his head, horns be damned. 

A creaking floorboard instantly alerted him to padding footsteps, masked by the din. He tensed. With his captors distracted, now would be a perfect time for the opposing factions to strike. It wouldn't be the first festival day he'd spent in battle.

However, instead of swords being drawn, Hyuse heard the light _tink_ of porcelain being set down outside his door and the footsteps retreated soon after.

He wrestled with indecision for a minute but his curiosity won out. After an appropriately long pause and listening very hard for any stragglers, Hyuse creaked open the door and looked down.

One of the small round flatcake sandwiches lay there on a plate. Someone had piped on a little smiley face in chocolate.

His lip curled at the bald-faced manipulation. Did they think he was completely unaware of their social customs? If so, they'd made a mistake allowing Youtarou to speak with him. How dare they try to draw him into a reciprocal contract. He had nothing left to give. Still, despite himself, he picked up the plate and shut the door behind him.

The smiley face stared up at him. It had horns.

He took a bite. It was delicious.

**Author's Note:**

> The original concept teased at Osamu/Kitora but then Yuuma and found-family feels hijacked it and then I just, take this I'VE HAD ENOUGH, my Genfic bed is made now let me lie in it, etc.
> 
> p.s. Hyuse best boy, 10/10 would hug :(


End file.
